Monday, March 04, 2013

TV Land announced that television comedy legends Carol Burnett and Tim Conway will guest star on Hot in Cleveland in an episode currently scheduled to air in August. Burnett will play Victoria's (Wendie Malick) mother Penny, a local TV legend and puppeteer on a children's program. Conway will make his return to the series as Nick, Elka's (Betty White) ex-boyfriend, but this time around, Nick has his heart set on Penny. Burnett and Conway are the latest in a long line of extraordinary guest stars who have appeared on the sitcom, including Regis Philbin, Mary Tyler Moore, Heather Locklear, the late Bonnie Franklin and many more. Carol and Tim's episode will be taping in front of a live studio audience on Friday, March 22! Get your tickets today if you're in the Los Angeles area! The Carol Burnett Show aired originally on CBS from 1967-1978 and starred Carol Burnett, Harvey Korman, Vicki Lawrence, Lyle Waggoner, and Tim Conway. The hit sketch comedy series had Tim Conway join the series in season 8 and he appeared on the last four seasons. The cast reunited in 2005 at the TV Land Awards (picture below) and in three reunion specials in 1993, 2001 and 2004.

TV Land's hit original sitcom will return this summer with the second half of season four with a LIVE episode airing Wednesday, June 19, 2013, at 10pm ET. The west coast will receive the live-to-tape version three hours later at 10pm PT. Hot in Cleveland, which is regularly taped in front of a live audience, stars television favorites Valerie Bertinelli (One Day at a Time), Jane Leeves (Frasier), Wendie Malick (Just Shoot Me!) and the legendary Betty White (The Golden Girls). Stay with us for a premiere date for Carol Burnett and Tim Conway's episode this August!

Actress Bonnie Franklin, best known for her starring role as divorced mother Ann Romano in One Day at a Time, has died. She died on March 1 at her Los Angeles home from complications of pancreatic cancer. Ms. Franklin was 69.

Franklin made her television debut on The Colgate Comedy Hour at age 9. She had an uncredited role in the Alfred Hitchcock film The Wrong Man in 1956. Her early television guest appearances included Shower of Stars, Cavalcade of Stars, Mr. Novak, Profiles in Courage, Karen, The Man from U.N.C.L.E., Gidget, Please Don't Eat the Daisies and The Munsters. In 1970, she made her debut on Broadway in the musical Applause. Her work in the show-business drama, which starred Lauren Bacall, won her a Tony nomination.

Franklin's signature role came in 1975 when she landed the role of Ann Romano in One Day at a Time. She was the divorced mother of Julie (Mackenzie Phillips) and Barbara (Valerie Bertinelli) in the series, which was set in Indianapolis. Pat Harrington, Jr. played the building superintendent Dwayne Schneider. The popular CBS sitcom ran for 9 seasons and 209 episodes from 1975-1984. Franklin received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series in 1982. She also received two Golden Globe nominations in 1982-1983 for Best Performance by an Actress in a TV-Series - Comedy/Musical. In the show's final season in 1984, she directed two episodes of the series. The cast reunited several times, including a 2005 CBS reunion special and a 2008 Today show appearance on NBC. In 2012, Franklin and the rest of the cast received the "Innovator Award" at the 10th Annual TV Land Awards.

After One Day at a Time ended in 1984, she continued to make guest appearances, direct episodic series and worked in regional theater. In 1987, she starred as Sister Margaret in the television movie Sister Margaret and the Saturday Night Ladies. She made guest appearances in Burke's Law, Almost Perfect, Touched by an Angel and The Young and the Restless. In 2011, she reunited with Bertinelli in the TV Land sitcom Hot in Cleveland. She played Agnieszka, the mother of Bertinelli's character's boyfriend. Her directing credits included episodes of Karen's Song, Charles in Charge and The Munsters Today.

Survivors include her 101-year-old mother, Claire Franklin; two stepchildren; and two grandchildren. Her second husband, film and television producer Marvin Minoff, died in 2009 after being married for 29 years.

We were fortunate enough to see her at the TV Land Awards last year. She was quite kind to talk to us. She was a very talented actress in the groundbreaking One Day at a Time. It would be great to see the series again in syndication and have more seasons available on DVD. Ms. Franklin will be deeply missed.

Superstore - "Blizzard" (NBC, 8:00PM ET/PT)
With a massive snowstorm beating down on St. Louis -- and an unsympathetic home office -- the Cloud 9 employees and customers get snowed in, leading to escalating tensions and infighting.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine - "The Therapist" (NBC, 9:00PM ET/PT)
Charles brings Jake into a case when a therapist reports one of his patients missing; Holt finds out Rosa has a new girlfriend that everyone else has met; Amy believes she has accidentally received a package meant for Terry.

Will & Grace - "Conscious Coupling" (NBC, 9:30PM ET/PT)
When both of their boyfriends ask to move in, Will and Grace use each other as an excuse to get out of it; a snowstorm traps Karen at the office and Jack in an elevator, where he reunites with old flame Drew and tests his commitment to monogamy.